Lewison’s mother dispels rumors
Published 8:00 am Friday, February 25, 2011
Watch video of Mary Lewison’s statement
Mary Lewison has set out to dispel rumors that her son, Joe, was text messaging when his pickup truck collided with a train earlier this month.
Since the fatal accident, Lewison said she heard a rumor that her son did not see the oncoming train because he may have been on his phone; however, his phone, which is still in working condition, tells another story.
“I just want to make it clear that his phone is intact, the sheriff looked at it and she said he had not even opened the (text message) from (his girlfriend),” Lewison said Thursday afternoon. “There was 17 minutes between the text he sent and the accident, and he was only in his car three minutes from the time he left his friend’s house until the time the train collided with his truck.”
Mary Lewison talks about her son Joe Lewison and the events surrounding his death on Feb. 1 after his truck collided with a train on County Road 4 south of Austin. - Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Lewison said his phone was found near his hand when police and fire rescue teams responded to the scene, possibly causing the rumors.
Shortly before the collision on Feb. 1, Joe dropped off a friend at his house about a mile and a half away from the railroad crossing. Joe sent a text message to his girlfriend at 11:27 a.m., before he left his friend’s house, according to Lewison. No calls were made and no other text messages were sent between then and the time of the accident, which was reported around 11:45 a.m.
When police found the phone, it still had a notification of an unread text message on the screen, showing that he had not even opened the phone to look at the message.
Lewison said she simply wants to set the record straight because the rumors aren’t true and have been difficult for her family to hear. She said two nights before his death, Joe had called the family into the living room to watch a story on TV about a girl who died because she was text messaging while driving.
“He called everyone in to sit down and watch it together. He said, ‘this is very important and I want you all to see it,’” Lewison said.
Lewison is also calling for lights and gates to be installed at the crossing where the accident occurred. Currently, there are no lights, gates, rumble strips or speed limit signs for vehicles — all things that could contribute to the safety of the crossing, particularly because trees and shrubbery line the train tracks and make spotting an oncoming train difficult, she said.
“The intersection needs to be fixed. It needs to be changed,” she said. “We’re going to fight for it for Joe.”
